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Konstantopoulou plays Gaza audio in Parliament; Kairidis calls it 'badly acted theater'
🇬🇷 Greece /Elections & Politics

Konstantopoulou plays Gaza audio in Parliament; Kairidis calls it 'badly acted theater'

From Ta Nea · (10m ago) Greek Critical tone

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • A heated exchange occurred in the Greek Parliament between Zoe Konstantopoulou and Dimitris Kairidis over the interception of Gaza-bound flotilla ships.
  • Konstantopoulou played an audio recording, accusing Israel of piracy and the Greek government of inaction.
  • Kairidis dismissed her claims as "badly acted theater" and criticized her understanding of international waters.

The Greek Parliament witnessed a fiery confrontation between Zoe Konstantopoulou, president of the Plefsi Eleftherias party, and New Democracy parliamentary representative Dimitris Kairidis, concerning the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli forces. Konstantopoulou, in a dramatic move, played a 59-second audio recording purportedly from the Israeli Navy, which she claimed demonstrated an attempt to break the Gaza blockade and constituted a violation of international law.

These peaceful ships that are going to deliver baby food to Gaza were subjected to piracy.

— Zoe KonstantopoulouKonstantopoulou accused Israeli forces of piracy and the Greek government of inaction during a parliamentary session.

Konstantopoulou vehemently accused the Greek government of failing to act against what she termed "piracy" in international waters, areas she asserted fall under Greece's search and rescue jurisdiction. She described the peaceful vessels, carrying essential supplies like baby food to Gaza, as having been subjected to an "act of war" and accused Israel of abducting dozens of activists. Her impassioned speech questioned whether Greece was an independent nation or merely a pawn of the Israeli state.

Go back to your desks to learn the difference between national and international waters and then give us lessons.

— Dimitris KairidisKairidis sharply criticized Konstantopoulou's understanding of maritime law during their heated exchange in parliament.

Kairidis, responding with sharp criticism, dismissed Konstantopoulou's presentation as "badly acted theater" and suggested she return to her studies to learn the difference between national and international waters. He implied political pressure on Konstantopoulou and asserted that Greek authorities had offered assistance, but the ships' occupants declined rescue, stating they did not wish to be saved. This exchange highlights the deep divisions within Greek politics regarding foreign policy and international incidents, particularly those involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Are we an independent government or are we pawns of the Israeli state?

— Zoe KonstantopoulouKonstantopoulou questioned Greece's sovereignty in the face of perceived Israeli aggression during a parliamentary debate.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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